


About Time

by randomfandomimagine



Series: Imagines (Reader Insert) [4]
Category: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Genre: Childhood Friends, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Soulmate-Identifying Timers, Sparring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-28
Updated: 2018-09-28
Packaged: 2019-07-18 14:50:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16120763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomfandomimagine/pseuds/randomfandomimagine
Summary: Requested by anon:Can you do an imagine where Cloud Strife teaches his s/o how to use his weapon because his s/o begged for a lesson? I’d like to imagine that Cloud is the type to worry a lot for his s/o because he doesn’t want them to get hurt. And maybe his s/o gets a tiny scratch and he is worried afRequested by anon:Can I request an imagine for a Soulmate Au for Cloud where theres a timer ticking down to the moment they meet their soulmate on their wrist? Cloud’s timer always said 00:00 but the reason is because his soulmate was his childhood friend all along? They always thought it was broken because they were born relatively at the same time (convenient, I know). How they find out is totally up to you





	About Time

I looked up at the stars and lay my head on Cloud’s shoulder, watching his reaction. He visibly blushed, but he didn’t push me away. After all, he was my best friend. Cloud didn’t move, almost like he was scared of shooing me away if he did. His blue eyes were fixed on the night sky above us, almost with a dreamy expression.

“Look, a shooting star!” He muttered, lifting an arm to point at it.

“Oh, I didn’t see it!” From our lying position on the grass, I lifted my arm up as well to jokingly push his away. “No fair!”

Carefully, Cloud’s hands wrapped around my arm and brought it closer to his face so he could examine it. There, on my wrist, there was the timer. It was still stuck at zero, tattooed in black letters on my skin.

“I still don’t understand why ours don’t work…” Cloud whispered, observing his own timer, which looked just like mine.

“My mommy says it’s because maybe I already met my soulmate” I replied in a matter-of-fact way. “Or because it activates with a kiss”

Cloud paused in a thoughtful manner. Then he gently lay my arm back over my stomach and sighed.

“They say it’s not always the same for everyone” Lowering his own arm, his glance returned to the sky instead of lingering on me.

“Did you make a wish to the shooting star?” I suddenly replied, intrigued by his response.

“No, I wasn’t fast enough”

“What would you wish if you could?”

“To make it into SOLDIER”

“Remember, if you do, you have to teach me how to fight!”

“Promise, Y/N”

Cloud was always saying how his dream was to become a SOLDIER, so he planned on leaving Midgar and pursuing it. To make sure he came back to me, I made him promise that he would teach me how to fight when he did, also to show me how much he had learnt. We just needed time for that to happen.

“What would you wish for?” His voice interrupted my thoughts as I imagined how that would be. I always imagined him coming back to me when I least expected it, bearing a wide grin for a change, being all tall and strong after all those years. And he would pick me up in a bear hug, lifting me off the ground and spinning me around because he had missed me as much as I had missed him.

“Huh?” I mumbled as I tried to forget about that fantasy.

“What would you wish for if you could?” He repeated, seeing as I hadn’t heard.

“To know who my soulmate is”

*YEARS LATER*

I woke up in surprise, being so into the dream that it took me a while to get back to the real world. That happened so many years ago, when we were kids, but the memory brought back in dream form brought me nostalgia.

Lazily, I rolled on my side and looked at the watch on my bedside table. At the sight of it, I jumped to my feet and rushed to the door. Was it that time already?!

I ran to the front door, trying to fix my hair on the way, and quickly swung it open. There stood Cloud, leaning on the wall with a look of utter boredom. He turned around when he heard me and watched me, unfazed by my appearance.

“You’re late” Came his deadpan voice. “And you aren’t even ready”

“Sorry! I overslept…” I walked further into the living room, hearing the sounds of his boots making contact with my wooden floor as he followed me into the house. “I won’t take long”

“Alright” He lazily plopped down on my couch and waited.

Cloud was used to things like these, we were so close to each other that it wouldn’t be the first time that this happened to me or even to him. Although it was rare that Cloud was late, and the one time that I waited for him to get ready at his place, it was amusing. His usually spiky hair was then disheveled and limp before he styled it, and it was also an adorable sight to see him in his pijamas.

“I dreamt about you” I muttered as I went into the bathroom and began to comb the mess that was my hair.

“Oh?” He couldn’t really suppress the surprise and embarrassment that my statement brought him. I saw it coming and, as always, it was one of the many reasons why I said it on the first place. I kind of enjoyed flustering him a little.

“About the day of the shooting star, remember?” I hinted, letting him know that he still hadn’t kept his promise.

“No” I knew his response wasn’t addressing my question, but more of a reaction to what I subtly tried to tell him. I always did to the point that it wasn’t subtle anymore.

“C’mon, Cloud!” I popped up my head at the corridor, watching him feebly return the glance. “You promised!”

“I said no, Y/N, and I mean it” He insisted, and after all he was probably the most pigheaded person I knew. Even more than me, which was saying a lot.

“But you promised!”

“And I will keep my promise, but not yet”

“You’re no fun”

I rolled my eyes as I went back to my bedroom to get changed out of my pijamas. I didn’t even understand why he didn’t want to teach me how to fight. But I intended on discovering why.

*

As I walked beside Cloud, I watched a couple with envy. They were just like us, walking together ahead of us. With the difference that their hands were joined together and I noticed how their timer was shining bright with a pink color.

I sadly raised my arm to get my wrist closer to my eyes and observed my own timer. It still marked zero and the numbers were reflected in a dull black color.

“You okay?” Cloud asked me, and I felt his piercing blue eyes focused on me with concern. When I looked at him, his brow was furrowed as well.

“Yeah…” I mumbled, linking my arm with his. “I’m fine”

I treasured the contact because, even if Cloud didn’t really initiate any sort of affectionate gestures unless absolutely necessary, or for my sake in order to cheer me up or something, he didn’t mind me initiating them. He never really opposed to them, but at first they flustered him a lot and he would blush. Now he was used to it and I could swear he had grown to enjoy them himself.

“You look upset” He knew me very well and realized I was in fact upset.

“It’s just these stupid timers” I sighed in a frustrated resignation. “I’m jealous of the people who met their soulmates and are with them”

I averted my gaze for a moment, but noticing that he remained quiet, I looked back at him. His expression hadn’t change, except for a mild and almost unnoticeable thoughtfulness. Someone else wouldn’t even have noticed the subtle shift in his demeanor, but I knew him well too. Even if he tried to conceal his emotions and thoughts. I just saw through him.

“Fine” He said out of nowhere, and after an even longer pause. “I’ll do it”

“Do what?” The breath hitched in my throat and my heart raced in hopefulness.

“Teach you how to fight” Cloud’s frown turned into a slight scowl and he looked away in what seemed annoyance. “I’ll do it”

“Cloud!” I squeaked in excitement, jumping in place. “Are you serious?”

Not that Cloud was known to joke around, but I just couldn’t believe that it was finally happening. That after years of waiting, the time had come.

“Yes, I’m serious” His voice sounded bored yet again, and basically resigned as it stated that obvious fact.

I threw myself to hug him, unable to contain myself. It was a very clumsy gesture at first, but his arms wrapped around my frame and his hands settled on my back. Soon, the gesture became warm and genuine like mine.

*

I bit down on my lip, so excited that I couldn’t stop watching him in awe as he wielded his sword and demonstrated for me. His movements were agile, fast and efficient, but also elegant. I really admired Cloud and his strength, and not just when it came to fighting. I was seriously so fond of him, I adored him.

“Okay” With a last movement, he lowered his big sword and approached me. “Now it’s your turn, repeat what I just did”

He offered me his sword, and I hesitated seeing the size of it. Not only did he have the SOLDIER training and physical strength, but he had grown accustomed to the weapon’s weight. I hadn’t.

I could have sworn I caught a glimpse of a smirk appearing on his lips when I grabbed the sword’s handle and the weight made me wobble, nearly making my knees buckle under it if it weren’t for Cloud’s hand that quickly wrapped around my upper arm to keep me in place.

“Hold it up” He instructed me, just watching me.

I did what I could, but it was far too heavy for me to hold. How did such a thin guy like him carry that everywhere?! Even as a SOLDIER! If he had Barrett’s complexion, I would have understood, but Cloud? No matter how muscular he was, he was still slim!

“I can’t!” I complained, struggling to even lift it off the ground. “It’s too heavy!”

“Here” There definitely was a smirk on the corner of his lips as he took it from my hands and brought a smaller sword out of it and gave it to me. “This’ll be easier”

I observed the long, thin sword that resembled a katana. Then I held it and glared at the blond. Why didn’t he give me that to start with? Was he deliberately teasing me?

“You got it?” I shook my head at him, letting him know that I had no idea how to properly hold it.

Without a word, Cloud positioned himself behind me and put his hands over mine as his arms fell over my own as well. Then he slid my hands up the handle until my fists touched the top of the hilt. That grip felt more secure.

“It was about time you showed me” I smiled over my shoulder to him.

“Yeah, I guess so…”

“I’m so excited!”

“Just so you know” He wielded his sword again and stood on guard. “If you get hurt, it won’t be on me”

“I know, I know” I rolled my eyes at his stubbornness, saying the words I knew he was thinking. “I insisted, it’s my fault”

Cloud just nodded briefly and I wielded my sword as well. Taking a moment to get a feel to it, I swung it a few times to get used to its weight. Then I nodded as well and carefully swung at him.

Obviously, Cloud quickly put his sword in front of him and stopped the blow with ease. He retaliated with a soft swing of his own, but I was fast enough to jump back and avoid it. He rewarder me with a nod of approval as he tried again.

We repeated that routine and slowly got more serious about it. The only sounds were the one of metal against metal and our own elaborated breaths. Other than that we kept silent, focusing on the fight and not on the banter.

Very slowly, Cloud showed me what he was capable of. He clearly held back for my sake, but his reflexes were incredibly fast. That demonstration from before was nothing compared to actual combat.

With each blow, we moved faster. Our swords kept clinging against one another, our feet moving at a quick pace as we lunged forward for attack or jumped backwards for defense. It was almost a dance, a coreography, we had found a shared rhythm.

Then, all of a sudden, I fell to my knees with a sharp cry of pain. Cloud swung his sword and I wasn’t fast enough to block the attack. In fact, in a strange reflex, I moved sideways and used an arm to shield myself from it. Which was a very stupid thing to do when an enormous sword came down at me.

I dared to take a look at that spot in my upper arm where it burned and I felt blood dripping out of it. I had a clear diagonal cut, but it didn’t seem too deep. Nonetheless, the sight of blood fazed me and I gasped at the sight, quickly averting my gaze from the nasty image.

“Y/N!” Cloud exclaimed, immediately dropping his sword and running to my aid. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!!”

“I’m okay” I said through gritted teeth, dropping my sword as well and clutching the cut. “I’m fine, don’t freak out”

“This is my fault, I shouldn’t have-“ He said as he knelt down in front of me.

“I thought if something happened, it wasn’t on you” I smirked a little, remembering his words.

We locked eyes as the silence settled. His blue eyes were wide with panic, and he didn’t react to my small joke. If anything, it only angered and rattled him further.

His gloved hands rested on my upper arm, around the wound, as he examined it. He let out a deep breath of relief and nodded to himself when he finished.

“It’s just a scratch” I assured him, knowing he was freaking out already. “I’m okay”

“This shouldn’t have happened, I knew I shouldn’t teach you how to fight, I…” Cloud sighed, letting go of my arm and staring at the ground.

“Is that why you didn’t want to?” I frowned as I stared at him, trying to read the mystery that was his mind. “You were scared that I would get hurt? That you would hurt me?”

Even though he didn’t respond, his silence was answer enough. Also, his brow furrowed in a pained way that told me everything I needed to know. Cloud would never change, he was always blaming himself for everything. I knew him well enough to realize he hated himself for hurting me, thinking how much worse it could have been.

Angry about the fact that he was always so hard on himself, I pushed him a little. When he looked up in surprise, I sternly stared into his eyes.

“First of all, this is nothing, it doesn’t even hurts that much” I lied a little, because it definitely hurt a lot since I wasn’t used to battle like he was. “And second of all, I pestered you so you would teach me, if anyone’s to blame that’s me”

Cloud still didn’t say anything, but he did look away. As he lowered his glance, it fell over his arm and he straightened from the sudden hunched over and crestfallen posture he had acquired. With an energetic and determined movement, he tore his black sleeve from under the wolf emblem on his shoulder.

Without a word and without daring to look into my eyes again either, Cloud carefully wrapped the fabric around the wound in my arm and securely tied it to stop the bleeding and cover the cut.

“I’m… sorry” He said with his husky voice, which was still filled with regret despite my words. “I’m really sorry”

I rolled my eyes and engaged in a rare gesture that I thought necessary. I never did things like those fearing he wouldn’t like them, but I kissed him in the cheek to show him that I really wasn’t blaming him. He gasped in surprise and his hand flew to his chest.

“Y/N!” Cloud uttered, in my opinion overreacting a little to such a simple gesture.

“What? I just meant to cheer you up, you-“ I was about to be defensive, but he shook his head and took my hand, leaving me breathless. He never did things like that.

“I need to check something” All of a sudden, his eyes were glued to me, he wouldn’t look away. I was almost hypnotized by the intense and beautiful glance.

Painstakingly slowly, he lifted my hand closer to his lips. My heart pounded in anticipation, wondering what had gotten into him all of a sudden. And then they finally made contact with my skin as he kissed the back of my hand.

I yelped when all the sensations arrived at once. I was overwhelmed by the intensity of it. How his lips spread a pleasant warmth over my skin, like they had blessed it. How my heart skipped a beat, but in a unique way. I had experienced that feeling many times before, but never like that. That time it was like that warmth that started in the spot he kissed was spreading up my arm and into my chest, like my heart was overcome with joy and euphoria. But there was something else.

Tears built up in my eyes when my wrist began shinning. The previously dull black numbers on my wrist, just a little above the point Cloud’s lips touched, were now a bright shade of yellow.

When my eyes fell over his again, they looked watery like mine. But there was a smile plastered on his lips, one that I hadn’t seen in years. A wide, bright grin of pure happiness and content, of calm and comfort.

Cloud then lifted his glove to reveal his wrist. In his skin, the numbers were colored yellow as well. Even if, like mine, they were stuck at zero like they always had.

I let out a chuckle, still not believing what was happening. And I let myself go, holding on to his face and pushing myself closer to him until our lips rested against one another. For a second I feared Cloud didn’t like the sudden and impulsive gesture, but he gave into the kiss as soon as our mouths connected.

His hand never left mine, and his free one snuck into my hair, letting his gloved fingers to get lost in my locks. If we needed another proof that we were soulmates, butterflies flew inside my stomach and my heart seemed to be singing, beating faster than before, with so much liveliness that I couldn’t help but to smile.

We broke away for air, realizing we were both out of breath. But not only because of the kiss, but because of the whole situation. It was him all along. Of course it was.

“It was about time you showed up” I chuckled again, happy tears clouding my vision.

“I was always here…” His brow was furrowed once more, but this time it was a passionate gesture, an emotional one. “And so were you…”

I felt so stupid! Cloud and I were always close, but not exactly affectionate. I knew he felt awkward and a little uncomfortable with it, so I gave him his space. All we ever did was cuddle or hug, and all seemed so platonic… or it used to, at least.

If only I had kissed him in the cheek before, if only he had kissed me in the hand earlier. We were waiting for so long, thinking that we didn’t have soulmates or that something happened to them. Theorizing about it together, not knowing our soulmate was right there with us. That we were each other’s soulmates. It must have seemed obvious to everyone else, but not to us.

Incredulous, we both looked down to our wrists and noticed that, after the kiss, the numbers were now pink.


End file.
